Atco, New Jersey

Atco is an unincorporated community in Waterford Township in Camden County, New Jersey, United States.[5] It is part of the Philadelphia-Camden metropolitan area, located 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Camden. Though generally considered part of Waterford Township, a small section of the southern edge of Atco is located in Winslow Township.[6][7]

Atco, New Jersey
Unincorporated community
Atco
Location in Camden County (Inset: Camden County in New Jersey)
Atco
Atco (New Jersey)
Atco
Atco (the United States)
Coordinates: 39°46′11″N 74°53′15″W
Country United States
State New Jersey
CountyCamden
TownshipWaterford
Elevation
45 m (148 ft)
Population
 • Total12,350
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP code
08004[2][3]
Area code(s)856
GNIS feature ID874410[4]

As of the 2010 United States Census, the population for ZIP Code Tabulation Area 08004 was 12,350.[1]

Atco is the home of the Atco Raceway, and served as the location for the movie Eddie and the Cruisers. In 2005, an episode of Viva La Bam was shot at the raceway. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08004.[2]

History

The area gets its name from the Atlantic Transport Company, though other possible derivations have been offered, one of which is from the Indian word for "Land of many deer."[8] The Atlantic Transport Company of West Virginia placed a major order with the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey for four big ships launched 1902–3, which may have something to do with the choice of the name Atco at this time.

Camden and Atlantic Railroad was founded in 1854; it crossed the Pinelands from Camden to Atlantic City. The Raritan and Delaware Bay Railroad was established soon after, linking Atco to communities such as Toms River, Waretown, Atsion and Vineland.

The story of the Atco Ghost is popular in Atco. Legend has it that a young boy was killed by a drunk driver while chasing a ball and that his ghost can be seen playing in the same street, Burnt Mill Road, after honking one's horn.[9]

Geography

The town is at the western edge of Wharton State Forest and the Pine Barrens. Atco Lake is a 30 acres (12 ha) lake in Atco.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Atco has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[10]

Education

Atco was the site of Assumption School, an elementary school that operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden until it was closed at the end of the 2012–13 school year.[11]

Atco public schools, operated by Waterford Township School District, serve K-6 grade. Atco Elementary (grades to K-1), Thomas Richards Elementary (grades 2-3) and Waterford Elementary (grades 4-6) serve students from Atco. Junior high school and high school students from Atco are served by Hammonton Public Schools or parochial schools of their choice.

Transportation
Atco station, which is served by NJ Transit's Atlantic City Line

Atco has a train station on the Atlantic City Line, which is operated by NJ Transit. The station is accessible from Route 73 and the White Horse Pike (U.S. Route 30).[12]

Breweries
  • Atco Brewing Company

Wineries

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Atco include:

References
  1. DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 from 2010 Demographic Profile Data for ZCTA5 08004 Archived 2020-02-12 at Archive.today, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 27, 2013.
  2. Look Up a ZIP Code for Atco, NJ, United States Postal Service. Accessed July 31, 2012.
  3. Zip Codes, State of New Jersey. Accessed August 27, 2013.
  4. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Atco, New Jersey
  5. Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed June 9, 2016.
  6. Gargan, Guy. "Local bowling: Kevin Voss rolls his first perfect game en route to 796 series in Hammonton" in The Press of Atlantic City, April 18, 2011. Accessed November 15, 2013.
  7. McCullen, Sean. "Police: Citizen Tip Nets Drug, Weapon Charges" in Gloucester Township Patch, November 6, 2011. Accessed November 15, 2013.
  8. Beck, Henry Charlton. "Jersey Genesis: The Story of the Mullica River", via Google Books, p. 291. "More pertinent to us is the fact that Atco, in the same neighborhood, took its name from the Atlantic Transportation Company..."
  9. Rose, Lisa. "Creepy New Jersey: The stuff of legends", The Star-Ledger, April 13, 2012. Accessed July 31, 2012. "The Atco Ghost is Jersey's most dutiful apparition, a specter that appears when drivers honk three times on Burnt Mill Road in the Pine Barrens. The legend is that a boy darted into the street chasing a ball and was struck by a drunken driver."
  10. Climate Summary for Atco, New Jersey
  11. Laday, Jason. "Fuming parents question whereabouts of $340K after closure of Atco Catholic school", South Jersey Times, May 10, 2013. Accessed December 6, 2016. "There is a serious lack of trust, and $340,000, at Assumption School in Atco. The Diocese of Camden’s decision in February to close the school at the end of this academic year has caused a wave of anger and accusations from parents and other supporters, who have since cried fraud over the apparent disappearance of hundreds of thousands of dollars they say they have raised over the last two and a half years in order to keep the school going."
  12. Atco Station, NJ Transit. Accessed March 29, 2016.
  13. Johnson, Brent. "How N.J. native Conway got Trump over the finish line", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 9, 2016. Accessed November 9, 2016. "Conway, who grew up in the Atco section of Waterford Township in Camden County, was hired in August, at a time when Trump was suffering from gaffes and drooping poll numbers."
  14. Rey Ramsey, The History Makers. Accessed September 10, 2015. "Lawyer and Chief Executive Officer of One Economy Corporation Rey Ramsey was born Reynard Ramsey on September 10, 1960, in Lower Marion Township, Pennsylvania. At the age of five, Ramsey and his family moved to a predominantly white neighborhood in Atco, New Jersey, where he attended grammar and high school."
  15. Staff. "Ex-wrestler 'Superfly' Snuka charged in girlfriend's 1983 death", Courier-Post, September 1, 2015. Accessed May 5, 2016. "A native of the Fiji Islands, Snuka has been living in South Jersey off and on since the 1980s, in Cherry Hill with his second wife and now in Atco."
  16. Sally Starr, Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. Accessed September 2, 2015. "Sally was instrumental in the resurrection of the "Wilson Line Show Cruises." She was a survivor, having had a heart attack in 1993. She lived in her home in Atco, New Jersey."
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